Perro targets crime, focuses on quality of life in run for 16th Worcester District seat

Saturday

Aug 23, 2014 at 7:34 PM

By Steven H. Foskett Jr. TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Editor's note: First in a series profiling the candidates running for state representative in the 16th Worcester District.

WORCESTER — Joshua Perro didn't drop out of the spotlight in the wake of his 16th Worcester District primary loss last year to Daniel M. Donahue.

If anything, the 20-year-old increased his visibility, and after Mr. Donahue beat Republican Carol Claros to win the special election that filled out former legislator John P. Fresolo's term, Mr. Perro has seemingly been everywhere — public meetings, events, neighborhood group meetings and political gatherings.

The Democrat is mounting another primary challenge to Mr. Donahue, while insisting his higher profile is not really by design. In the five-person 2013 contest, Mr. Donahue bested Mr. Perro by 97 votes, gaining 27.3 percent of votes cast to Mr. Perro's 24 percent.

"My love of the district, my commitment as treasurer of the library board, my commitment to making sure the district is the best it can be — it isn't rooted in politics, it's rooted in growing up in a family business and talking about the struggles, talking what the district could be," Mr. Perro said. "My being around isn't as politically motivated as people like to tag. My heart is largely at the grass roots, it's not all about running for office with me."

Mr. Perro seems more confident he can pull off a victory this time around. The field is much less crowded. Last year's five-way primary for the open seat arguably made it hard for individual candidates to get voters' attention, but this time around it's just the two of them. There is no Republican candidate in the general election in November.

Mr. Perro pledged his support for Mr. Donahue after losing in the primary last year, and described both himself and Mr. Donahue as solid Democrats. But they have different ideas about how the district is best served, Mr. Perro said.

With a heavy focus on public safety issues, Mr. Perro says his advocacy in the Statehouse can help battle crime and improve quality of life in the district, which covers most of Grafton Hill and Vernon Hill, parts of College Hill, Quinsigamond Village, Green Island and the Massasoit Road area.

He paints Mr. Donahue as already in lock step with House leadership in just 10 months on the job, voting with House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, even at the expense of his own district. Mr. Perro points to Mr. Donahue's vote to raise the cap on charter schools, which he said would have drained more resources away from public schools, as an example.

But concerns about crime, violence and quality of life are what Mr. Perro said he hears most from voters in the district. He said that as a state representative he will secure funding for more community policing initiatives and police foot patrols. He said it doesn't matter who's voting for what in the Legislature; he said he will always fight for the district.

"I've knocked on thousands of doors in this race, and never once have I come across Bob DeLeo," Mr. Perro said. "What I mean is that he has no idea what the specific concerns that our specific residents have, he has no idea that we have parents worried about sending their children to the bus stop, or that we have seniors worried about going to the drugstore on Sunday. So long as those are concerns, I don't care how politically popular it might be, or how much the speaker's leadership team is pushing for a certain bill, if it goes against our district in addressing those concerns, I don't see how you can justify that by saying your relationship with leadership is more important than those needs at hand."

Mr. Perro, who lives on Minerva Street, said he hopes to combat public safety indirectly by fighting for funding for education, including more money for summer jobs for youths and after-school programs.

Even when talking about economic development, Mr. Perro draws a line back to public safety. A public fearful to go out and patronize local businesses has an impact on the health of the local economy, he said.

"We can talk about streetscape development all day long, but if we're not supporting our local businesses by making those streets a safe place, making those neighborhoods welcoming, embracing the people who make them up, and making sure public safety isn't a concern, then those small businesses will constantly have an uphill battle," Mr. Perro said.

He said there is still much the district has going for it, and the diversity of the district is one of its best assets.

Mr. Perro, who attends the College of the Holy Cross and whose family runs Perro's Flowers on Grafton Street, said he feels like his campaigning has developed more focus since last fall. He said he has brought in political operatives from high-profile Boston campaigns to hone his get-out-the-vote, messaging, and fund-raising efforts. His campaign last year relied in part on infusions of cash from his own bank account, but Mr. Perro insists this time around he is in good shape financially.